Agave syrup (also called agave nectar) is a sweetener which can be obtained from several species of agave, including the blue agave (Agave tequilana), salmiana agave (agave salmiana), green agave, grey agave, thorny agave and rainbow agave. Agave syrup is sweeter than honey, though less viscous.
To produce agave syrup from the Agave tequiliana plant, juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña. The juice is filtered, then heated to hydrolyze polysaccharides into simple sugars. The main polysaccharide of the agave juice is called inulin or fructosan and comprises mostly fructose units. The agave juice also contains glucose. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrupy liquid, slightly thinner than honey, from light- to dark-amber depending on the degree of processing.
Agave salimiana is processed differently than Agave tequiliana. As the plant gestates, it starts to grow a stalk called a quiote. The stalk is cut off before it fully grows, creating a hole in the center of the plant that fills with a liquid called aguamiel. The liquid is collected daily and the fructans hydrolysed by enzymes into fructose and dextrose.
Alternative methods used to process the agave juice without heat, include, but are not limited to acid hydrolysis, enzymatic treatment (for example with enzymes derived from Aspergillus niger) as well as filtration (such as ultrafiltration).
An inulin syrup, which may be obtained from agave plants, can be processed into fructose syrup for use in foods and beverages. The conventional techniques for producing fructose syrup from agave plants produce syrups of differing quality, depending on the particular technique. High quality fructose syrup is clear in color and substantially free of the taste and aroma of the agave plant. A poor quality fructose syrup has a yellow-brownish color and is tainted by the taste and smell of the agave plant.
Agave syrups consists primarily of fructose and glucose. Depending on the source, the fructose content can vary between 56% and 92% whereas the glucose content can vary between 8% and 20%. One of agave syrup's principal advantage is that its glycemic index and glycemic load are comparable to fructose, which in turn has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than sucrose. Further, agave syrup is 1.4 to 1.6 times sweeter than sucrose. Agave syrup is often substituted for sugar or honey in recipes. Agave syrup dissolves quickly, it can be advantageously used as a sweetener for cold beverages.
Since the applications and shelf-life of liquid agave are limited, it would be highly desirable to be provided with an agave syrup processed into a solid form and therefore having a low water content. It is preferred that the agave syrup product possesses the distinctive taste and color of the original liquid agave syrup. Preferably, the agave syrup product would not contain any additive(s). It would nevertheless be preferably a very versatile product that could be processed into various food, nutraceutical, dietary supplement or natural health product applications.